


HC01—The Fight

by VST



Category: The High Chaparral
Genre: Domestic Disputes, Drabble Sequence, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:23:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17611904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VST/pseuds/VST
Summary: Shortly after the beginning of what might have been Season 5, Victoria and John have words over a touchy subject. A drabble fic told in 100 word increments.





	1. Drabble 1

**Author's Note:**

> _The High Chaparral was one of my favorite westerns when I was a boy. Having had the opportunity to see a number of episodes recently for the first time in many years, I'm glad to see that the show has held up so well in the transition from my youthful to my adult eyes. I'm looking forward to reading some of the other fan fiction stories, but this is one that I've always wondered about._
> 
>  
> 
> _This story is written as a series of drabbles, short scenes of exactly 100 words each (not counting the drabble number), where each word counts for both content and quantity. Word count was by Microsoft Word and may vary on other formats._
> 
>  
> 
> _Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction, written entirely for fun and not for profit. This interpretation of The High Chaparral is entirely my own, and The High Chaparral and all of its various components remain the property of their respective owners._

Although she was fluent in her husband's language, Victoria had a tendency to think in her mother tongue when she was angry. It allowed her to be more expressive without letting the potentially damaging words flood out.

This was one of those rare occasions when that dam was near breaking.

She had raised the issue again and, once more, John was dismissive, using the same old arguments as in the past.

She had let it slide each time before, hoping he would eventually change, that her argument and her love would prevail.

Now, she knew it was too late...


	2. Drabble 2

Grabbing the saddle horn, John Cannon swung up on Billy. A ride out to check on the herd would allow his temper cool before he said anything else to upset his wife.

What to him had begun essentially as an arranged marriage to cement the treaty with the Montoya family had eventually become much more; he had accepted her as one with him in spirit.

Now, they shared their love as well as their common goals for High Chaparral Ranch. Together, they would succeed.

Still, she did have that one special goal of her own that he did not share.


	3. Drabble 3

She rounded the corner to see a toothy grin.

"Buenos días, mi hermana."

"Manolito!" She hugged him close.

Playing dumb, he asked, "¿Qué pasa, Victoria? What is wrong?"

Taking her brother's arm, she seated him in the parlor. Frowning as she gathered her skirt, she sat down with a huff.

"My husband is what is wrong," she replied. "He is a…a…stubborn, pig-headed mule!"

Manolito nodded slightly as he continued trying to keep a straight face.

"And you finally realized this great truth exactly when, dear sister?"

With his amusement finally slipping through, her face reddened; rising, she stomped away.

"Men!"


	4. Drabble 4

Two men on horses atop a small rise looked down as the herd milled lazily grazing on the scant southern Arizona vegetation. Pedro and Wind slowly circled the herd in the distance.

"Sam, she can just be so...difficult," groused John. "She gets something into her beautiful head and just won't take no for an answer."

Noncommittally, "Yes, Sir."

John continued, "Some might say it's the old Spanish Montoya blood, filled with stubbornness and temper. I love her dearly, but Lord knows she's richly blessed with both."

Sam nodded. "And then again, Sir, some might say that's just being a woman."


	5. Drabble 5

Victoria locked the bedroom door. Tears streamed down her face.

She'd known John's feelings and had tried so hard to follow this, his only demand. She'd kept good records, been so careful, but something had gone wrong.

Now, she had to tell him and she knew he would be extremely upset. When she'd raised the subject this morning, he'd raised his voice; what would he do when he realized the stakes were so much higher?

She loved him and knew his love but what damage would this do to it?

Oh! She had to tell him.

A purposeful sigh.

_Tonight._


	6. Drabble 6

"Mano, did you hear the lovebirds fightin'?"

"Buck, there may even be people in Tucson who heard them, but I pretended to not have when I spoke with Victoria. Sadly, I don't think it helped."

"Well, John took off. Looked like he's headin' out to the range to steam a bit before makin' his rounds."

"Whew! It is quite a good day for that."

"Well, I's thinkin' we should talk some sense to my big brother."

"Ooh, I don't know, amigo-"

"Come on! What's family for?" asked Buck, climbing on Rebel.

Manolito, mounting Mackadoo, mumbled, "Perhaps staying out of it?"


	7. Drabble 7

Bright.

Hot.

Bone-crackingly dry.

It was summer on the High Chaparral. Water was crucial to the survival of the cattle and, therefore, the ranch.

After completing morning rounds, John rode between watering spots to determine their current states. The herd shifted between watering holes and wells frequently to allow them to replenish from what groundwater was present.

Measuring depth, he recorded it in his notebook as even deeper thoughts troubled him.

He didn't understand why Victoria had broached it again. They'd already agreed, but suddenly she wanted to change his mind. He would stand firm; she'd get over it soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A watering hole was seen in at least one episode (Season 4's "Wind") and the collapse of a watering well was featured in Season 3's "Too Many Chiefs"._
> 
> _As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated!_


	8. Drabble 8

A wisp of dust rose above a distant rise. Minutes later, two riders approached.

"Brother John, we need to talk."

"Buck, if it's what I think it is, we don't."

Mano countered, "Your quarrel is really upsetting Victoria."

John's stare under the brim of his hat spoke volumes. "Victoria has some strange ideas that she needs to let go of."

"Maybe, but they're important to her," disagreed Buck. "Least listen to 'em."

Nodding, John's frown deepened. "We'll work it out together. By ourselves. Now, get back to work."

"Aye, big brother."

"Sí."

They galloped away in a cloud of dust.


	9. Drabble 9

Violeta placed dinner on the table and then retreated to the kitchen.

For once, Buck and Manolito wished they could join her.

An uncomfortable silence followed Grace as all four started eating, though Victoria mostly picked at her food.

Buck finally broke the quiet. "John, what's the water situation?"

"Low. But it'll do."

"Good, real good."

Silence returned. John glanced under his brow across the red and white cloth. Her eyes were affixed on her plate.

Mano tried. "The bay mare went into the stable today. She'll be foaling any time now."

John replied, "Good."

Victoria fled from the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Violeta was present in a few episodes of Season 2 including "Ten Little Indians," but she was referenced in other episodes without being seen. She was not present in Season 3 during Don Sebastian's visit since Victoria complained about not having any help when her father told her to have the servants do something. Here, I've assumed she was away for a while but has returned by this time._


	10. Drabble 10

Feeling sick when John entered, she was determined not to lose the small portion of her dinner that she'd actually eaten.

"Victoria, we have to talk."

"Yes, John, I know."

"I'm sorry about this morning. It was, well, a complete surprise when you raised the subject. We've talked about it and decided a long time ago, so I really wasn't expecting this to come up again."

"I know, John. But sometimes things change."

"True enough," he replied, moving forward to gently hold her just below the shoulders. "But not about this. Nothing at all has changed."

_No, John. It has._


	11. Drabble 11

Her voice froze when she tried to say those four words.

Personally, she was very excited, but the disappointment of letting him down compounding his steadfast opposition ruined the feeling.

Still, she had to tell him. He deserved to know. She readied herself—

Mano knocked on their door.

"John, the bay mare is foaling in the stable. Looks like trouble."

"I'll be right there."

He put his boots back on.

"Victoria, this may take a while. Go to sleep, dear. I'll be back as soon as I can."

A kiss, and he was gone, leaving her alone with troubled thoughts.


	12. Drabble 12

John slipped in, having removed his boots to avoid waking her. Undressing, he climbed into bed quietly.

He needn't have bothered.

Victoria lay there silently, feigning sleep, not wishing to upset him; he really needed his rest. Since the scare over a year earlier, she had pushed for him to get enough sleep to help reduce his stress. Her news in the morning would not help that.

Sleep eluded her.

John's thoughts were troubled, too. The foal and mother were safe, but what of Victoria? Did it really mean so much to her? Perhaps...

With mixed emotions, he finally slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The "scare" reference was to Big John's physical collapse in Season 3, Episode 23, "Too Many Chiefs," when the doctor gave John orders to take some time off to rest or he would risk dying._


	13. Drabble 13

The next morning, Victoria awakened early with her stomach still queasy. This, she guessed, was her new normal.

She let John sleep as she dressed, going to do her toilet and then on to the kitchen.

"Buenos días, Señora Cannon."

"Good morning, Violeta. Let me help."

Preparing breakfast for the family and the ranch hands was a blur, her stomach in her throat. Any moment, John would come. She would reveal all.

Suddenly, she stopped, her dark eyes widening.

She excused herself and ran from the kitchen, realizing she had been wrong, that it really wasn't too late after all.


	14. Drabble 14

John found her crying at her dressing table.

"Victoria, what's wrong?"

She rose, falling into his arms, holding him tight.

"John, I was...very late. I was sick. I was so sure! That's why I spoke with you about it yesterday. To see if you'd changed your mind, to see if you would want the baby."

His eyes widened, understanding, but she continued, "This morning, I found that I was wrong. I was just very late."

She sobbed as he hugged her.

Turning her face upward, he said, "And now that you know for sure, you're disappointed?"

A whisper: "Yes."


	15. Drabble 15

"Victoria, I'm sorry. I'm older. I've raised a family. I really didn't expect or even want to do it again. That's why I've always said no."

Her deep brown eyes held his. "I know, John. I didn't argue harder in earlier discussions because I always thought that someday our love would be strong enough to change even your stubborn mind."

A smile touched first one then both faces. Their embrace continued as two hearts beat together.

"Victoria, do you really want to have a baby?"

She paused. "I would love that, John, but only if it's what we really want."


	16. Chapter 16

_Six months later:_

The Chicago address was correct but the brass sign by the door read "Wm. Cannon Studio." The bell rang once, twice.

Bracing against bitter wind, the messenger was met by a young man with a charcoal pencil in hand.

"Yes?"

"Telegram for a Mister Billy Blue Cannon."

Eyes rolling slightly, "That's me."

Wallet lighter by the tip and ego lighter by the laugh, William opened the telegram from Tucson.

"Dearest Blue Boy,

We all miss you greatly. Sending all of our love plus even more to come.

You are going to be a brother.

John and Victoria"

_The End_

**Author's Note:**

> _Thanks so much to everyone for reading this drabble fic. It's been a great pleasure to write and I hope you've enjoyed it, whether with a smile, a chuckle, or maybe even a tear. Please leave even a short review to let me know your thoughts about it. Your feedback is greatly appreciated (and thanks to wotwasithinkin for the recent review, too!)._
> 
> _Regarding the story, to the best of my knowledge, the subject of John and Victoria having a child of their own was never truly explored on the show, probably due to the slowly easing content restrictions and censorship of the late 1960s and early 70s. Victoria's love of and longing for children were witnessed a number of times, with the two most important cases being Season 1, Episode 28, "Threshold of Courage," where she prays to be blessed with a child, and Season 4, Episode 5, "A Matter of Survival," where she spends a good part of the episode holding little Joey and obviously wanting to take him home with her. Perhaps the Season 1 writers initially thought to explore this in Season 2 but that never happened, allowing me to guess in this story that John objected for the reasons given. Then, little Joey's death later in Season 4 must have had a big impact on her, so placement of this story a few months after that seemed logical._
> 
> _Question: Could Victoria have children? The operation to remove her spleen in Season 3, Episode 15, "The Journal of Death," might have harmed her ability to do so based on Doctor Kendel's statement about "what we discussed earlier," but I think he meant about the risk due to his not having operated in the years since the war based on the fact that women often are able to have a child following a Splenectomy. If there was more to it than that, I apologize for missing it; in that case, this story must be considered AU._
> 
> _Regarding Billy Blue's use of the name William, in the very first episode, "Destination Tucson", he explains the origin of his name to Sarah Ward. However, just a few episodes later in "A Quiet Day in Tucson", when Blue is otherwise alone and introduces himself to Fergus MacLeish, he uses William._
> 
> _Thanks to Cliparts dot co for use of the free clip art used to produce the cover, cliparts . co/clipart/141371 . The font used for the coverpage title is modified to be reminiscent of the High Chaparral opening titles, but it's difficult to see unless you really enlarge it._
> 
> _I'll be posting my second HC story here on AO3 sometime soon! Until then,_
> 
> _¡Adiós, mis amigos!_
> 
> _VST_


End file.
